Attention In Academic Discourse Research Articles

Exploring the Unraveled Naktauri-Geet: A Study on a Ritual Performance in an All-Women Space in a Hindu marriage Ceremony

This research explores the ritual performance action known as Naktauri, which occurs during Hindu marriage ceremonies. In these ceremonies, women from the bridegroom’s family are excluded from the wedding rituals at the bride’s house and are left behind by the men. (In contemporary times, few women have begun to attend the wedding ceremony at the bride’s house. However, this step remains very limited in rural parts of the northern belt of India.) These women then engage in a ritual performance that enacts the entire sequence of the marriage, including the first night of the couple (suhagraat) and the birth of a child. This enactment is complemented by geet (songs), dance, and male impersonation, and it takes place in an all-women space where men are strictly prohibited. Any male attempt to intrude is met with a barrage of abuses. Based in Akbarpur, Uttar Pradesh, a place in northern India, this study underscores the importance of location as this performance holds multiple signifiers depending on its regional context. The performance of Naktauri has received negligible attention in academic discourse. This research aims to illuminate the significance of the geet and dance elements within this ritual performance, highlighting their role in providing a space for women’s cultural expression and agency.

Strategic management of alumni associations: a stakeholder approach for optimal efficiency

The purpose of the study is to explore the role of university alumni associations in aligning with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) articulated by the United Nations, emphasizing the criteria that defi ne a sustainable alumni association and their impact on university operations and broader economic and management practices. Methodology. Emphasis is placed on elucidating criteria that characterize a sustainable alumni association. This is complemented by a comprehensive analysis utilizing qualitative research methodologies, including indepth interviews and expert assessments. Originality / value of the research lies in its focus on the intersection of university alumni associations and sustainable development goals, an area that has received limited attention in academic discourse. Findings. The derived conclusions are rigorously substantiated through mathematical computations, culminating in actionable recommendations aimed at fortifying the future endeavors of alumni associations. The study is contextualized within the framework of a university in Kazakhstan, off ering practical insights and implications for economic and management practices in the contemporary academic landscape.

“A heart crushed into a thousand pieces, yet full of joy”: the hybrid emotional ideal for approaching suffering and grief in the Hasidic commentary to the Zohar

ABSTRACT This study examines the Hasidic interpretation of the Zohar, focusing specifically on the genre of Hasidic commentaries to the Zohar. Hasidic interpreters positioned themselves within the Kabbalistic continuum, drawing upon earlier commentaries while infusing modern Hasidic hermeneutics. However, the classification of these commentaries as distinctly “Hasidic” remains underexplored in academic scholarship. This article addresses this gap by analysing a lesser-known Hasidic commentary on the Zohar: Damesek Eliezer, authored by Eliezer Zvi Safrin (1830-1898), the third Rebbe of the Kamarno dynasty. Despite its significance, this seven-volume commentary has received limited attention in academic discourse. The study delves into the motivation and methods in writing the commentary, and its hermeneutical approach, focusing on a unique emotional ideal imparted to Hasidim: the fusion of a broken heart with joy. This emotional hermeneutics, offering psychological interpretations of Lurianic Kabbalah, is a defining characteristic of Hasidic texts. The elevation of suffering, sorrow, and affliction as a means to commune with the Shekhinah in her state of suffering is exemplified by a recommendation for nightly ritualistic performance. Through an analysis of Damesek Eliezer, this study sheds light on the emotional dimensions of Hasidic interpretation within the broader context of Kabbalistic tradition.

Investigating the Causality Between Financial Development and Carbon Emissions: A Quantile-Based Analysis.

The relationship between financial development and environmental sustainability has received significant attention in academic discourse. This study explores the crucial role of financial development in addressing the challenge of increasing CO2 emissions. Using quantile-on-quantile and nonparametric causality-in-quantile methodologies, this research investigates the impacts and causal links between financial market and institution development and CO2 emissions levels in five major polluting countries from 1990 to 2019. The findings provide strong evidence regarding the impact of financial institutions and financial market development on CO2 emissions, demonstrating the presence of shocks and nonparametric causality from financial institutions and financial market development to CO2 emissions quantiles. However, the effects of financial institution shocks and nonparametric causality are diverse and asymmetric across the sample. Positive and negative shocks are observed in India, while only negative shocks are observed in China, the USA, Russia, and Japan. Moreover, the findings reveal that the influence of financial market development on CO2 emissions varies across countries, with both positive and negative shocks transmitted to CO2 emissions in the USA, Russia, and Japan, indicating higher volatility in these countries compared to China and India, where only negative shocks are observed. Therefore, our recommendation emphasizes the prioritization of environmentally conscious financial products and the enhancement of the financial system's capacity to mitigate positive shocks contributing to increased CO2 emissions. Implementing this strategy requires collective efforts to embrace sustainable financial practices that consider the environmental impact of financial activities.

Hand Block Printing: Experimenting with Assorted Surfaces and Inks

Block printing has gained attention in academic discourse over the years due to its primacy in the art of printing. This oldest method of printing which is believed to have originated from Asia is currently practiced globally. In Ghana, the art is locally known as Adinkra printing, which essentially rely on a natural dye called Adinkra Aduro and calabash as the chief block surface for printing. Despite the popularity gained by this traditional art, little has been explored with respect to block surfaces, fabrics and printing inks. The Adinkra Aduro which lacks a colour fastness property is printed only on woven cotton fabrics. With the art studio-based research method, this study sought to explore varied block surfaces on assorted fabrics with both water-soluble and water-insoluble printing inks to open the horizon of block printing in the Ghanaian context. The study revealed marvelous effects which could be achieved with other block surfaces apart from the calabash surface used by Ghanaian textiles artists for block printing. It is recommended that, the block printing sector of the Ghanaian textiles industry would extend their resources to varied block surfaces and printing inks if not the fabric, to broaden the scope of the art.

Theorizing “Wicked Concept” and Reconceptualizing Wisdom as Wicked

The emergent conceptual framework of wicked problems has garnered much attention in academic discourse, including geography. By refining and drawing insights from tenets of the wicked problem concept, this article posits a “wicked concept” usefully defined through five propositions: Wicked concepts are difficult to define and have no universal meaning; there is an unending quest for a universal definition of wicked concepts; definitions and conceptualizations of wicked concepts are neither true nor false; all wicked concepts’ components are fundamentally unique; and wicked concepts are multidimensional. Although not exhaustive, our list of propositions aims to generate intellectual discourse on the usefulness of the wicked concept as a conceptual framework with which to analyze concepts marked with such ambiguities. Using the concept of wisdom as a reference point, we argue that academic knowledge production—particularly as it relates to wisdom—would benefit significantly from being reconceptualized as wicked.

A Study of Metaphors used for Bingu wa Mutharika and Peter Mutharika as Presidents of Malawi and the Impact on their Political Legacy

Metaphor analysis has been a very attractive area of scholarly research within cognitive linguistics in which different abstract ideas get mapped into tangible concepts. In Africa, it has become common that individuals like presidents are given metaphors to conceptualise their performance in office with the objective world. However, such political metaphors have not received much attention in academic discourse, and research studies that address the impact of metaphors on presidents’ political legacy are rare. Therefore, this paper analyses metaphors that Malawians have used in relation to their political leaders by drawing examples from two State Presidents: Bingu wa Mutharika and Arthur Peter Mutharika, and how the legacy of the two eventually has come to be associated with the metaphors. In politics, metaphors are essential because they are the lens through which people view and assess their leaders at both theoretical and functional level. Using the approach outlined by Schmitt (2005), the study analyses four major metaphors, namely: MOSE WA LERO (The New Moses), NGWAZI (The Conqueror/The Great Warrior), CHITSULO CHA NJANJI (The Railway Steel), and ADADI (The father/Dad). This paper argues that political metaphors, whether for praise or self-glorification, have an impact on influencing, shaping, and preserving the image of political leaders during their tenure of office which eventually become their legacy. The study acknowledges that presidents’ legacy can be traced through metaphor analysis. The analyses can become meaningful and valid in unearthing the history of conduct and performance of individual leaders.

What is Property Law?

This article addresses a core question in property theory, namely 'What is property law?'. This question does not yet seem to have received the attention in academic discourse that it deserves, so by tackling this question the article aims to make a contribution to this aspect of the academic debate on property theory. The article provides an initial answer to the question of what property law is. It does so in five steps: (i) it asks why the question is a valid one in the first place; (ii) it presents an abstract model outlining the building blocks of property law; (iii) it discusses how to separate property law from other, adjacent fields of law; (iv) it investigates the possible application of the abstract model presented at step ii to 'new' property interests that have developed outside the realm of private law property law; (v) and it analyses the impact which developments in EU law have on the main question of what property law is. Given the broad and complex nature of the question the article can also be seen as a research agenda setting the tone for subsequent research into this topic.

Trans-Kin Undoing and Redoing Gender: Negotiating Relational Identity among Friends and Family of Transgender Persons

The experiences of transgender persons have gained increased attention in academic discourse; however, few studies address how significant others, family members, friends, and allies (SOFFAs) process the transition of a loved one. This study seeks to fill this gap with research based on 133 observational hours and fifty interviews. Focusing on three relational identity themes—sexual orientation, social role, and religious identity—the findings suggest that SOFFAs use various intentional and unintentional strategies to negotiate relational identities. Furthermore, reflected appraisals and social stigma mediate the ability of SOFFAS to “undo” and “redo” gender when negotiating their relational identities.